Voluntary Schedule Reduction Program (VSRP)

The Voluntary Schedule Reduction Program (VSRP) was developed by the State as a cost savings measure and is authorized by Section 5-248c of the Connecticut General Statutes. Under the VSRP, employees may take unpaid time off without affecting their other benefits.

  • An employee must submit a VSRP request through the Employee Self Service portal of Core-CTand Human Resources must issue an approval prior to commencement of a reduced schedule, sporadic days, or leave of absence, under VSRP.
  • Participation in the VSRP is voluntary.
  • Management approval is required.
  • Requests cannot be approved if the leave would have a significant impact on critical services, result in overtime costs, and the department cannot hire other staff to perform the work of the employee taking VSRP leave.
  • The VSRP may not be substituted for medical leave.
  • The employee or his/her management may cancel time off under the VSRP up to and including the day prior to the date of the scheduled time off.
  • The VSRP is not subject to the grievance or arbitration procedure.

Eligibility

Permanent employees as provided by Section 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statute are eligible to participate:

  • Classified employees (NP-2, NP-3, NP-5, P-2, P-5) who have completed their required working test.
  • Unclassified employees (UCPEA, AAUP, Managerial/Confidential, Law School Faculty) who have completed six months employment.
  • Excludes employees in positions funded in whole or in part by the federal government as part of any public service employment program, on the job training program or work experience program.

Program Options

  • Sporadic Days Off – individual full days or partial days off. Classified employees may not take consecutive days off. (Monday/Friday is not considered consecutive.)Note: The Governor waived the consecutive days off limitation for classified employees from March 11, 2009 until further notice.
  • Work Schedule Reductions – a reduction in scheduled weekly hours that does not result in an employee falling below the minimum required for health insurance benefits.
  • Leaves of Absence – a leave of absence of more than 5 consecutive days, not to exceed 24 weeks per application unless for educational purposes. This option is not available to classified employees.

Benefit Considerations

Time off under the VSRP generally has no impact on benefits, as described below:

  • Employees continue to receive subsidized health and life insurance benefits.
  • Employees receive full credit toward seniority, longevity and retirement. Additionally, for State Employee Retirement System (SERS) participants earnings for unpaid leave taken under the VSRP are not impacted. In other words, salary that would have been earned will be added to actual earnings when determining the three highest earnings years used in the calculation.
  • Employees continue to accrue vacation.
  • Classified employees continue to accrue sick leave.
  • Employees receive holiday pay with no regard to VSRP time off.
  • Time off under the VSRP does not count as time worked for purposes of determining overtime pay.

Special Note for Foreign Nationals on a University of Connecticut Sponsored Visa:
Consult with the Department of International Services and Programs regarding the impact of leaves of absence on your visa status and eligibility.

To Apply

Employees may apply for the VSRP program through Core-CT. This Job Aid provides step-by-step instructions for employees. Questions may be directed the the Leave Administrator listed below.

Leave Administrator

Ragini Sengupta
Telephone: (860) 486-5688
Fax: (860) 486-0406

Additional Information

VSRP FAQs